Among natural populations, big bluestem shows a striking cline in morphology and physiology in drought adaptation over the 3-fold difference in annual precipitation across the Great Plains (1200 mm/year in Illinois to 400 mm/year in W KS).

ADAPTIVE RESPONSE TO DROUGHT

“Kansas Department of Agriculture told the Associated Press that the state's prolonged drought is costing an estimated 1.7 billion dollars in major crop losses. Near two-thirds of the state are in moderate to exceptional drought as of September 13, 2011” . The drought in Texas and OK cost 5.2 billion and 1.6 billion dollars, respectively.

MAJOR FORAGE SPECIES FOR RANGELAND CATTLE

RESTORATION

Big bluestem is a long-lived perennial that is widely used in prairie restorations.In 2007 alone, over 800,000 acres just in KS were restored to tall grass species in the Conservation Reserve Program with big bluestem being one of the most abundant in the Great Plains.

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